Homecomers: Jews and Non-Jews in Post-War Radom
Homecomers: Jews and Non-Jews in Post-War Radom

Summary/Abstract: Although the historiography on Holocaust survivors is growing, little attention has been given to the fate of those who decided to return to their places of origin in Poland in the immediate aftermath of the war (1945-1948). Even less is known about those who returned to cities smaller than Warsaw or Łódź. This article is concerned with the situation facing returnees in Radom, a medium-sized city in central Poland. It analyses how the Jewish population could not integrate with the local community which finally forced it to face the question whether “to stay or to go?”. The study focuses on survivors’ attempts to re-build their lives. It is an inquiry into their everyday life as well as social organization (Local Jewish Committee) in Radom by addressing the issues of physical safety, property ownership and occupational profile. The first aspect is examined primarily on the basis of the collection of police records and reports available in the National Remembrance Archive (IPN). The second and third are addressed by analysing documents available in the State Archives and the Archive of Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw.

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